1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a refueling equipment for refueling an aircraft as well as a method for refueling an aircraft using such equipment.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
At civil and military airports and aerodromes, it is known to use refueling equipments that are moved near the aircrafts to fill their tanks with fuel. A first type of refueling equipment comprises “refueling tankers” which are vehicles provided with a tank from which fuel is drawn to be transferred to a fuel tank of an aircraft. A second type of refueling equipment comprises vehicles intended to connect to an outlet mouth of a fixed fuel distribution grid, sometimes called “hydrant system.” These vehicles of the second type are commonly called “servicers” and are provided to be connected, on the one hand, onto the hydrant system, and on the other hand, onto the fuel tank of the aircraft, while allowing the hydrant system and that fuel tank to be connected.
With these two types of refueling equipment, a flexible hose is used to connect a fuel circulation system from the tank or hydrant system, to the inlet of a fuel tank of the aircraft. To that end, the downstream end of the flexible hose is provided with means for connecting on the intake port of the aircraft fuel tank. A refueling equipment is generally equipped with means for monitoring, metering and controlling the flow of fuel, such as flow meter(s), volume counter(s) and a pressure regulator, these devices being mounted on the equipment and making it possible to drive the flow in an open loop. When it leaves the pipe formed on the chassis of the equipment through rigid hoses, the flow penetrates the flexible hose under enslaved, but not continuously monitored, pressure, which poses a reliability problem. Given the position of the flexible hose, the pressure losses it causes are variable, to the point that the pressure of the fuel penetrating the fuel tank of the aircraft is not precisely controlled, whereas it must be limited to 3.5 bar so as not to damage the structure of the aircraft, while also being as high as possible so as not to needlessly extend the refueling time for an aircraft. Furthermore, the control and monitoring devices mounted on the refueling equipment must be subject to periodic verification, because they alone set the pressure of the fuel entering the aircraft's fuel tank. This periodic verification time decreases the actual operating time, and therefore the availability, of each refueling equipment.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. B-6,234,224 to mount a pressure gauge at the downstream end of a fuel supply hose of an aircraft. This gauge is not very accessible and the detection of an overpressure depends on the operator's concentration. Furthermore, even if he detects an overpressure, the operator, who then stays near the fuel tank of the aircraft, cannot act on the flow to decrease its pressure.